Terminal 18

Terminal 18 (T-18) is among the largest of the Port of Seattle’s (Port) container handling and storage facilities, at 2900 11th Ave. SW, Seattle, Washington. This 196 acre facility serves as an efficient container transportation hub through on-dock intermodal transportation. Utilizing intermodal on-dock container transfer supports the Port’s Green Gateway strategy by expediting the container movement process and reducing emissions (FIGURE Green Gateway Link/Picture). T-18 is located on Harbor Island, which is 430 acre island created during the early 1900s. Since being developed, the land has been utilized for port and industrial purposes.

Harbor Island was placed on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1983. The superfund designation was made due to elevated lead concentrations found over most of the island from a battery lead smelting operation. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found several Contaminants of Concern throughout the site, including; lead, arsenic, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB). In handling a dynamic and complex cleanup environment, the EPA dissected Harbor Island into multiple Operable Units (OU). T-18 resides in the Soil and Groundwater Operable Unit (S&G-OU1), which encompasses approximately half of the island.

A large scale redevelopment project occurred from 1999 to 2002 to expand and optimize the container handling operations at T-18. Redevelopment areas were subject to remedial actions prior and during construction. To satisfy EPA requirements, known contamination in soil “Hot-Spots” were removed before construction and a contingency plan was developed for impacted soils encountered during construction. The cleanup project also featured the creation of Terminal 18 public access park, featuring; shoreline access, bike and pedestrian walkways.

Institutional and engineered controls were established upon completion of remediation including deed restrictions, notifications requirements and soil handling requirements. Engineering controls consist of a low-permeability surface cap installed to contain contamination that was left in place after remediation. With the remediation stage of the cleanup process now complete, the Port is currently responsible for doing long-term maintenance and monitoring. Every five years, the EPA releases a comprehensive report of Harbor Island, including properties the Port owns.See details here: http://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/cleanup.nsf/7d19cd587dff1eee8825685f007d56b7/5a64831b6521f46b8825650200836f1c!OpenDocument The T-18 redevelopment project earned the Port the EPA Region 10’s 2004 Phoenix award, recognizing excellence in Brownfield redevelopment.